The Fantastic Four: First Stepswill be a very different kind of MCU film than some fans are expecting, andit looks quite fantastic. The upcoming debut of Marvel’s First Family will be taking cues from the space race of the 1960s, as well as one of the most legendary filmmaking icons the world has ever known.
Courtesy of Empire, brand-new stills fromThe Fantastic Four: First Stepshave been released (below), which evoke a unique vibe that director Matt Shakman says is “very much about the spirit of the Space Race.” And here’s the thing: it’s hard to deny that. The new look at the film confirms this will be unlike anything that has come from the MCU before. This is Marvel meets Apollo 11, but with superheroes at the center of it.
“This is very much about the spirit of the Space Race. It’s about JFK and optimism. It’s imagining these four going into space instead of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. This idea is that they are the most famous people in America, because they’re adventurers, explorers, astronauts — not because they’re superheroes. And they come back and they’re superheroes on top of it. But primarily they’re astronauts, they’re family.”
‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Delivers a Marvellous New Look at the MCU’s Incoming Heroes
The Fantastic Four are inching closer to their MCU debut, and CinemaCon audiences have been given a brand new look.
For Shakman, makingThe Fantastic Fourin its own retro universe meant that the ’50s/60s tone had to be felt throughout all facets of the production process. “I really wanted it to feel like it was made in 1965, the way Stanley Kubrick would have made it,” stated Shakman, before saying, “Within reason.” Obviously, as with most MCU films, a lot of CGI will be used to bring the superpowered team to life, but expectan assortment of practical and old-fashioned filmmaking methods. This includes employing a 14-foot-tall spaceship miniature, as well as “old lenses” that evoke the feeling of a Kubrick film. In many ways, Shakman wanted the “space race” film to be as grounded as possible.
“I really wanted to go with as grounded a version of space as possible. So, no wormholes. Their tech is very much retro-future, but it’s also booster rockets. It’s a combination of Marvel and Apollo 11.”
‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Exists in Its Own Universe, So Don’t Expect MCU Cameos
The main cast ofThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsisconfirmed to return forAvengers: Doomsday, but don’t expect a lot of connections to the MCU in Matt Shakman’s film. According to the director, setting the new movie in an alternate universe afforded the filmmakers a creative freedom that has become rare in the MCU. That means there were no mandates for MCU Easter eggs, or other significant connections to the grander cinematic multiverse. However, Shakman confirms that, eventually, “this world will meet up with other worlds.”
“We are our own universe. Which is wonderful and liberating. There’s really no [other] superheroes. There’s no Easter eggs. There’s no running into Iron Man or whatever. They’re it, in this universe. I love the interconnected Marvel Universe, but we get to do something so new and so different. Eventually this world will meet up with other worlds — but for now this is our own little corner.”
Source:Empire Magazine
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
